Some businesses letting Macroom down

“IF we were to go on strike next year and decide not to do any work, the town would be awash with litter and flower beds would not be planted and grass wouldn’t be cut.”

So said Macroom Tidy Towns committee secretary John Lyons as he directed trenchant criticism at the local council and businesses in the town after representatives collected yet another award at this year’s Tidy Town National Awards in Dublin on Monday.

“There are some businesses and they’d support you with money at a church gate collection and the likes but there’s grass and weeds growing outside their doors,” he said. “There are some laneways that are becoming derelict and need attention.”

This echoed a comment in the report by the Tidy Towns Adjudicator in which he singled out some businesses for praise but was critical of others: “There remains a number of premises which currently detract from the streetscape... This is always a challenge for your Committee when you are trying to encourage all property owners to support your vision for the town .”

Shops and bars such as TP Cotters, Macroom Credit Union, Dineen’s Bar and the cluster of ‘vibrant frontages’ at the corner of Main Street and Fitzgerald Street were ‘admired’ by the adjudicator.

“Vacant, derelict and neglected buildings are an issue throughout the town that detracts from the streetscape and you are aware of this but it is good to hear that progress is being made and that several vacant buildings have been renovated and reoccupied over the past year,” he said.

The Macroom Tidy Towns committee was also very glad of the support they received from the asylum seekers who were moved into the Riverside Park Hotel on the outskirts of the town in August.

“They’ve been out with us cleaning up, enjoying the camraderie and it’s been good for us and good for them and very beneficial to the social fabric of the town,” John remarked.

He predicted that there would be more asylum seekers than business owners at a public meeting in the Castle Hotel, due to be held last night.

Increasingly, he said, the Tidy Towns Committees in Macroom and elsewhere were being asked to come to the assistance of under-resourced local councils.